Vertical tunneling field effect transistor with dual liner bottom spacer

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to fabrication method and resulting structures for vertical tunneling field effect transistors (VFETs) having a dual liner bottom spacer. In a non-limiting embodiment of the invention, a first liner is formed on a top surface of a source or drain (S/D) region and sidewalls of a semiconductor fin. Portions of a spacer are removed to expose a first region and a second region of the first liner. The first region of the first liner is directly on the S/D region and the second region is over the semiconductor fin. A second liner is formed on the first liner. A first portion of the second liner is formed by selectively depositing dielectric material on the exposed first region and exposed second region of the first liner. The first liner and the second liner collectively define the dual liner bottom spacer.

BACKGROUND

The present invention generally relates to fabrication methods andresulting structures for semiconductor devices, and more specifically,to fabrication method and resulting structures for vertical tunnelingfield effect transistors (VFETs) having a dual liner bottom spacer.

Traditional metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET)fabrication techniques include process flows for constructing planarfield effect transistors (FETs). A planar FET includes a substrate (alsoreferred to as a silicon slab), a gate formed over the substrate, sourceand drain regions formed on opposite ends of the gate, and a channelregion near the surface of the substrate under the gate. The channelregion electrically connects the source region to the drain region whilethe gate controls the current in the channel. The gate voltage controlswhether the path from drain to source is an open circuit (“off”) or aresistive path (“on”).

In recent years, research has been devoted to the development ofnonplanar transistor architectures. For example, vertical tunneling FETsemploy semiconductor fins and side-gates that can be contacted outsidethe active region, resulting in increased device density and someincreased performance over lateral devices. In contrast to planar FETs,the source to drain current in a VFET flows through the vertical fin ina direction that is perpendicular with respect to a horizontal majorsurface of the wafer or substrate. A VFET can achieve a smaller devicefootprint because its channel length is decoupled from the contactedgate pitch.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a method for forming asemiconductor device. A non-limiting example of the method includesforming a first liner on a top surface of a source or drain (S/D) regionand sidewalls of a semiconductor fin. Portions of a spacer are removedto expose a first region and a second region of the first liner. Thefirst region of the first liner is directly on the S/D region and thesecond region is over the semiconductor fin. A second liner is formed onthe first liner. A first portion of the second liner is formed byselectively depositing dielectric material on the exposed first regionand exposed second region of the first liner. The first liner and thesecond liner collectively define the dual liner bottom spacer.

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a method for forming asemiconductor device. A non-limiting example of the method includesforming a first semiconductor fin and a second semiconductor fin on asubstrate. A bottom S/D is formed on a surface of the substrate. Thebottom S/D can be positioned between the semiconductor fins and thesubstrate. A shallow trench isolation region is formed in the substrateand a gate is formed over a channel region of the first semiconductorfin and the second semiconductor fin. A dual liner bottom spacer isformed between the bottom S/D and the gate. The dual liner bottom spacerincludes an oxide liner and a nitride liner. The oxide liner includes astepped shaped directly adjacent to the shallow trench isolation regionand a convex shape between the first semiconductor fin and the secondsemiconductor fin and subsequent non-isolation adjacent fins.

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a semiconductor structure.A non-limiting example of the semiconductor device includes a firstsemiconductor fin and a second semiconductor fin on a substrate. Abottom source or drain (S/D) is on a surface of the substrate andpositioned between the semiconductor fins and the substrate. A shallowtrench isolation region is formed in the substrate and a gate is formedover a channel region of the first semiconductor fin and the secondsemiconductor fin. The structure includes a dual liner bottom spacerbetween the bottom S/D and the gate. The dual liner bottom spacerincluding a first liner and a second liner. The first liner includes astepped shaped directly adjacent to the shallow trench isolation regionand a convex shape between the first semiconductor fin and the secondsemiconductor fin and sub sequent non-isolation adjacent fins.

Additional technical features and benefits are realized through thetechniques of the present invention. Embodiments and aspects of theinvention are described in detail herein and are considered a part ofthe claimed subject matter. For a better understanding, refer to thedetailed description and to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The specifics of the exclusive rights described herein are particularlypointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion ofthe specification. The foregoing and other features and advantages ofthe embodiments of the invention are apparent from the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 depicts a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure afteran initial set of processing operations according to one or moreembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structureafter additional processing operations according to one or moreembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 3 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structureafter additional processing operations according to one or moreembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 4 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structureafter additional processing operations according to one or moreembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 5 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structureafter additional processing operations according to one or moreembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 6 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structureafter additional processing operations according to one or moreembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 7 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structureafter additional processing operations according to one or moreembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 8 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structureafter additional processing operations according to one or moreembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 9 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structureafter additional processing operations according to one or moreembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 10 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structureafter additional processing operations according to one or moreembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 11 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structureafter additional processing operations according to one or moreembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 12 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structureafter additional processing operations according to one or moreembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 13 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structureafter additional processing operations according to one or moreembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 14 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structureafter additional processing operations according to one or moreembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 15 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structureafter additional processing operations according to one or moreembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 16 depicts a flow diagram illustrating a method according to one ormore embodiments of the invention; and

FIG. 17 depicts a flow diagram illustrating a method according to one ormore embodiments of the invention.

The diagrams depicted herein are illustrative. There can be manyvariations to the diagram or the operations described therein withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention. For instance, the actionscan be performed in a differing order or actions can be added, deletedor modified.

In the accompanying figures and following detailed description of thedescribed embodiments of the invention, the various elements illustratedin the figures are provided with two or three-digit reference numbers.With minor exceptions, the leftmost digit(s) of each reference numbercorrespond to the figure in which its element is first illustrated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is understood in advance that although example embodiments of theinvention are described in connection with a particular transistorarchitecture, embodiments of the invention are not limited to theparticular transistor architectures or materials described in thisspecification. Rather, embodiments of the present invention are capableof being implemented in conjunction with any other type of transistorarchitecture or materials now known or later developed.

For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related tosemiconductor device and integrated circuit (IC) fabrication may or maynot be described in detail herein. Moreover, the various tasks andprocess steps described herein can be incorporated into a morecomprehensive procedure or process having additional steps orfunctionality not described in detail herein. In particular, varioussteps in the manufacture of semiconductor devices andsemiconductor-based ICs are well known and so, in the interest ofbrevity, many conventional steps will only be mentioned briefly hereinor will be omitted entirely without providing the well-known processdetails.

Turning now to an overview of technologies that are more specificallyrelevant to aspects of the present invention, continued scaling of VFETdevices is restricted in part due to the presence of non-ideal bottomspacer profiles in the shallow trench isolation (STI) regions. Inparticular, an STI recess below the top of the epitaxially grown bottomsource/drain can damage the bottom spacer, thereby changing the bottomspacer profile. A damaged bottom spacer can lead to gate to source/drainshorts as well as reliability and performance losses in the finaldevice.

Turning now to an overview of aspects of the present invention, one ormore embodiments of the invention address the above-describedshortcomings of the prior art by providing a fabrication method andresulting new semiconductor structure that includes a dual liner andselective deposition scheme configured and arranged to improve theprofile quality of the bottom spacer. Accordingly, aspects of thepresent invention can mitigate the bottom spacer damage that resultsfrom the STI recess below the top of the bottom source/drain.

Turning now to a more detailed description of aspects of the presentinvention, FIGS. 1-15 depict cross-sectional views of a semiconductorstructure 100 that results from fabrication operations applied accordingto one or more embodiments of the invention. In embodiments of theinvention, the final semiconductor device (shown in FIG. 15 ) can be avariety of types of MOSFETs, including, for example, non-planar n-typefield effect transistors (NFET) and p-type field effect transistors(PFET). For example, the final semiconductor device can be an n-typeVFET or a p-type VFET.

In FIG. 1 , an initial set of fabrication operations has been used toform the structure 100 such that it includes a substrate 104, a bottomS/D region 108, a STI region 110, fins 102, and hard masks 106,configured and arranged as shown. The fins 102 can be formed on thesubstrate 104 using known front-end-of-line (FEOL) VFET fabricationtechniques. While the semiconductor structure 100 is shown having threefins 102 for ease of illustration, it is understood that any number offins can be formed over or in the substrate 104. The substrate 104 andthe fins 102 can be made of any suitable semiconductor material, suchas, for example, monocrystalline Si, silicon germanium (SiGe), III-Vcompound semiconductor, II-VI compound semiconductor, orsemiconductor-on-insulator (SOI). Group III-V compound semiconductors,for example, include materials having at least one group III element andat least one group V element, such as one or more of aluminum galliumarsenide (AlGaAs), aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN), aluminum arsenide(AlAs), aluminum indium arsenide (AlIAs), aluminum nitride (AlN),gallium antimonide (GaSb), gallium aluminum antimonide (GaAlSb), galliumarsenide (GaAs), gallium arsenide antimonide (GaAsSb), gallium nitride(GaN), indium antimonide (InSb), indium arsenide (InAs), indium galliumarsenide (InGaAs), indium gallium arsenide phosphide (InGaAsP), indiumgallium nitride (InGaN), indium nitride (InN), indium phosphide (InP)and alloy combinations including at least one of the foregoingmaterials. The alloy combinations can include binary (two elements,e.g., gallium (III) arsenide (GaAs)), ternary (three elements, e.g.,InGaAs) and quaternary (four elements, e.g., aluminum gallium indiumphosphide (AlInGaP)) alloys.

In some embodiments of the invention, the substrate 104 and the fins 102can be made of a same semiconductor material. In other embodiments ofthe invention, the substrate 104 can be made of a first semiconductormaterial, and the fins 102 can be made of a second semiconductormaterial. In some embodiments of the invention, the substrate 104 andthe fins 102 can be made of silicon or SiGe. In some embodiments of theinvention, the substrate 104 is a silicon substrate and the fins 102 aresilicon germanium fins having a germanium concentration of about 10 toabout 80 percent. The fins 102 can each have a height ranging from 4 nmto 150 nm. In some embodiments of the present invention, the fins 102are formed to a height of about 60 nm, although other fin heights arewithin the contemplated scope of the invention.

In some embodiments of the invention, the substrate 104 can include aburied oxide layer (not depicted). The buried oxide layer can be made ofany suitable dielectric material, such as, for example, a silicon oxide.In some embodiments of the invention, the buried oxide layer is formedto a thickness of about 145 nm, although other thicknesses are withinthe contemplated scope of the invention.

In some embodiments of the invention, a hard mask 106 (fin mask) ispatterned over a top surface of the fins 102. The hard mask 106 can beformed using any suitable process. In some embodiments of the invention,the hard mask 106 can be formed using, for example, a chemical vapordeposition (CVD), plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD), ultrahigh vacuum chemicalvapor deposition (UHVCVD), rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition(RTCVD), metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), low-pressurechemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), limited reaction processing CVD(LRPCVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), flowable CVD, spin-ondielectrics, physical vapor deposition (PVD), molecular beam epitaxy(MBE), chemical solution deposition, spin-on dielectrics, or other likeprocess. The hard mask 106 can be made of any suitable dielectricmaterial, such as, for example, a low-k dielectric, a nitride, siliconnitride, silicon oxide, SiON, SiC, SiOCN, or SiBCN. In some embodimentsof the invention, the hard mask 106 is a silicon nitride hard mask.

As shown in FIG. 1 , in some embodiments of the invention, a bottomsource or drain (S/D) region 108 is formed over the substrate 104 at abase of the fins 102. In some embodiments of the invention, the BottomS/D region 108 is epitaxially grown on exposed surfaces of the substrate104. In some embodiments of the invention, the Bottom S/D region 108 isformed to a thickness of about 10 nm to about 60 nm, for example 30 nm,although other thicknesses are within the contemplated scope of theinvention.

The Bottom S/D region 108 can be epitaxially grown using, for example,vapor-phase epitaxy (VPE), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), liquid-phaseepitaxy (LPE), or other suitable processes. The Bottom S/D region 108can be semiconductor materials epitaxially grown from gaseous or liquidprecursors.

In some embodiments of the invention, the gas source for the epitaxialdeposition of semiconductor material includes a silicon containing gassource, a germanium containing gas source, or a combination thereof. Forexample, a silicon layer can be epitaxially deposited (or grown) from asilicon gas source that is selected from the group consisting of silane,disilane, trisilane, tetrasilane, hexachlorodisilane, tetrachlorosilane,dichlorosilane, trichlorosilane, methylsilane, dimethylsilane,ethylsilane, methyldisilane, dimethyldisilane, hexamethyldisilane andcombinations thereof. A germanium layer can be epitaxially depositedfrom a germanium gas source that is selected from the group consistingof germane, digermane, halogermane, dichlorogermane, trichlorogermane,tetrachlorogermane and combinations thereof. A silicon germanium alloylayer can be epitaxially formed utilizing a combination of such gassources. Carrier gases like hydrogen, nitrogen, helium and argon can beused. In some embodiments of the invention, the epitaxial semiconductormaterials include carbon doped silicon (Si:C). This Si:C layer can begrown in the same chamber used for other epitaxy steps or in a dedicatedSi:C epitaxy chamber. The Si:C can include carbon in the range of about0.2 percent to about 3.0 percent.

Epitaxially grown silicon and silicon germanium can be doped by addingn-type dopants (e.g., P or As) or p-type dopants (e.g., Ga, B, BF₂, orAl). In some embodiments of the invention, the Bottom S/D region 108 canbe epitaxially formed and doped by a variety of methods, such as, forexample, in-situ doped epitaxy (doped during deposition), dopedfollowing the epitaxy, or by implantation and plasma doping. The dopantconcentration in the doped regions can range from 1×10¹⁹ cm⁻³ to 2×10²¹cm⁻³, or between 1×10²⁰ cm⁻³ and 1×10²¹ cm⁻³.

In some embodiments of the invention, the bottom S/D region 108 is madeof silicon germanium. In some embodiments of the invention, the BottomS/D region 108 is made of silicon germanium having a germaniumconcentration of about 10 to about 65 percent, for example, 50 percent,although other germanium concentrations are within the contemplatedscope of the invention.

As further shown in FIG. 1 , a shallow trench isolation region 110 canbe formed in the substrate 104. In some embodiments of the invention,the shallow trench isolation region 110 is recessed below a top surfaceof the Bottom S/D region 108. As discussed previously herein, recessingthe shallow trench isolation region can cause a non-ideal bottom spacerprofile.

The shallow trench isolation region 110 can be formed by forming atrench in the substrate 104 and filling the trench with dielectricmaterial, such as, a low-k dielectric, an oxide, a nitride, siliconnitride, silicon oxide, SiON, SiC, SiOCN, or SiBCN. The shallow trenchisolation region 110 provides electrical isolation between adjacentdevices on the substrate 104.

FIG. 2 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structure 100after a processing operation according to one or more embodiments of theinvention. In some embodiments of the invention, a liner 202 (sometimesreferred to as a first layer of a dual liner bottom spacer) is formedover the semiconductor structure 100. In some embodiments of theinvention, the liner 202 is an oxide liner. The liner 202 can be formedusing any suitable process, such as CVD, PECVD, ALD, flowable CVD,spin-on dielectrics, or PVD. In some embodiments of the invention, theliner 202 is conformally formed over the semiconductor structure 100.

In some embodiments of the invention, a quality, thickness, and/ormaterial of the liner 202 is selected such that a sacrificial spacer 204can be selectively removed without removing the liner 202 (see FIG. 4 ).For example, a sacrificial spacer made of amorphous silicon can beremoved selective to a liner of silicon oxynitride (SiON).Alternatively, dielectric materials that do not provide etch selectivityto the sacrificial spacer 204 can also be used, by varying the thicknessof the liner 202. For example, the thickness of the liner 202 can beincreased to compensate for any loss in liner thickness that occurs whenremoving the sacrificial spacer 204.

In some embodiments of the invention, the sacrificial spacer 204 isformed on sidewalls of the liner 202. In some embodiments of theinvention, portions of the sacrificial spacer 204 are formed over theshallow trench isolation region 110. The sacrificial spacer 204 can beformed using any suitable process. In some embodiments of the invention,the sacrificial spacer 204 is conformally deposited over thesemiconductor structure 100 and then patterned, using for example, aspacer etch back. In this manner, remaining portions of the conformaldeposition define the sacrificial spacer 204. The sacrificial spacer 204can be made of any suitable material. In some embodiments of theinvention, material for the sacrificial spacer 204 is selected to ensurethat the sacrificial spacer 204 can be removed selective to the liner202. In some embodiments of the invention, the sacrificial spacer 204 isamorphous silicon.

FIG. 3 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structure 100after a processing operation according to one or more embodiments of theinvention. In some embodiments of the invention, a dielectric layer 302(sometimes referred to as a second layer of a dual liner bottom spacer)is deposited or formed on a top surface of the liner 202 and on a topsurface of the sacrificial spacer 204. The dielectric layer 302 can beformed using any suitable process, such as CVD, PECVD, ALD, flowableCVD, spin-on dielectrics, or PVD. In some embodiments of the invention,the dielectric layer 302 is formed to a thickness of about 10 nm toabout 60 nm, for example 30 nm, although other thicknesses are withinthe contemplated scope of the invention.

In some embodiments of the invention, the dielectric layer 302 isselectively deposited only on exposed dielectric surfaces of thesemiconductor structure 100. In other words, the dielectric layer 302can be selectively deposited onto the top surface of the liner 202 andthe top surface of the sacrificial spacer 204. Advantageously,selectively depositing the dielectric layer 302 on dielectric materialensures that the thickness of the dielectric layer 302 is greater on thehorizontal surfaces than the vertical surfaces after adding additionaldielectric material (discussed with respect to FIG. 5 ).

FIG. 4 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structure 100after a processing operation according to one or more embodiments of theinvention. In some embodiments of the invention, the sacrificial spacer204 is removed, using, for example, a wet etch, a dry etch, an ashingprocess, and/or a stripping process. In some embodiments of theinvention, the sacrificial spacer 204 is removed selective to the liner202 and/or the dielectric layer 302. As discussed previously herein, aquality, thickness, and/or material of the liner 202 can be selectedsuch that the sacrificial spacer 204 can be selectively removed withoutremoving the liner 202. For example, an amorphous silicon sacrificialmaterial can be stripped selective to silicon oxynitride (SiON).

FIG. 5 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structure 100after a processing operation according to one or more embodiments of theinvention. In some embodiments of the invention, additional dielectricmaterial is conformally deposited over the semiconductor structure 100.In some embodiments of the invention, the dielectric material is thesame material as the dielectric layer 302, defining a single dielectricregion. Due to the selective deposition shown in FIG. 3 , the dielectriclayer 302 can have a first thickness on the horizontal surfaces of thesemiconductor structure 100 (i.e., over the bottom S/D region 108) and asecond, smaller thickness on vertical surfaces (i.e., sidewalls of thefins 102). In other words, the additional dielectric material can beconformally deposited (to a same nominal thickness) on all exposedsurfaces of the dielectric layer 302 and the liner 202, resulting in auniform increase in the thickness of the dielectric layer 302. As thehorizontal surfaces of the semiconductor structure 100 already containeddielectric material (i.e., portions of the dielectric layer 302 prior todepositing the additional dielectric material, as shown in FIG. 4 ), thehorizontal thickness of the dielectric layer 302 will be greater thanthe vertical thickness after uniformly depositing the additionaldielectric material.

As further shown in FIG. 5 portions of the dielectric layer 302 (andadditional dielectric material) and portions of the liner 202 can beremoved to expose sidewalls of the fins 102. The exposed sidewalls ofthe fins 102 define channel regions of the semiconductor structure 100.In some embodiments of the invention, portions of the dielectric layer302 are removed using a wet etch that removes material equally fromhorizontal and vertical surfaces. As the horizontal surfaces will haveextra dielectric material due to the selective deposition of thedielectric layer 302 on horizontal surfaces as shown in FIG. 3 , thesidewalls of the fins 102 can be selectively exposed without removingportions of the dielectric layer 302 formed over the bottom S/D region108. In other words, the dielectric layer 302 can be globally recesseduntil the relatively thin portions of the dielectric layer 302 on thevertical surfaces of the semiconductor structure 100 are removed,leaving only remaining portions of the (initially) thicker horizontalportions. As further shown in FIG. 5 , remaining portions of the liner202 and the dielectric layer 302 collectively define a bottom spacerhaving a dual liner structure.

FIG. 6 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structure 100after a processing operation according to one or more embodiments of theinvention. In some embodiments of the invention, gates 602 are formedover the channel region of the fins 102 and over surfaces of thedielectric layer 302. In some embodiments of the invention, the gates602 are conformally formed over the semiconductor structure 100.

In some embodiments of the invention, the gates 602 can be high-k metalgates (HKMGs) formed using, for example, known replacement metal gate(RMG) processes, or so-called gate-first processes. The gates 602 caninclude high-k dielectric material(s) (e.g., a gate dielectric) and awork function metal stack (not shown). In some embodiments of theinvention, the gates 602 further includes a main body formed from bulkconductive gate material(s).

In some embodiments of the invention, the gate dielectrics include ahigh-k dielectric film formed on a surface (sidewall) of the fins 102(not shown). The high-k dielectric film can be made of, for example,silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, boron nitride,high-k materials, or any combination of these materials. Examples ofhigh-k materials include but are not limited to metal oxides such ashafnium oxide, hafnium silicon oxide, hafnium silicon oxynitride,lanthanum oxide, lanthanum aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, zirconiumsilicon oxide, zirconium silicon oxynitride, tantalum oxide, titaniumoxide, barium strontium titanium oxide, barium titanium oxide, strontiumtitanium oxide, yttrium oxide, aluminum oxide, lead scandium tantalumoxide, and lead zinc niobate. The high-k materials can further includedopants such as lanthanum and aluminum. In some embodiments of theinvention, the high-k dielectric film can have a thickness of about 0.5nm to about 4 nm. In some embodiments of the invention, the high-kdielectric film includes hafnium oxide and has a thickness of about 1nm, although other thicknesses are within the contemplated scope of theinvention.

In some embodiments of the invention, the gates 602 include one or morework function layers (sometimes referred to as a work function metalstack) formed between the high-k dielectric film and a bulk gatematerial. In some embodiments of the invention, the gates 602 includeone or more work function layers, but do not include a bulk gatematerial.

The work function layers can be made of, for example, aluminum,lanthanum oxide, magnesium oxide, strontium titanate, strontium oxide,titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, hafnium nitride, tungsten nitride,molybdenum nitride, niobium nitride, hafnium silicon nitride, titaniumaluminum nitride, tantalum silicon nitride, titanium aluminum carbide,tantalum carbide, and combinations thereof. The work function layer canserve to modify the work function of the gates 602 and enables tuning ofthe device threshold voltage. The work function layers can be formed toa thickness of about 0.5 to 6 nm, although other thicknesses are withinthe contemplated scope of the invention. In some embodiments of theinvention, each of the work function layers can be formed to a differentthickness.

In some embodiments of the invention, a bulk gate conductive material isdeposited over the work function layers. The bulk gate material caninclude any suitable conducting material, such as, for example, metal(e.g., tungsten, titanium, tantalum, ruthenium, zirconium, cobalt,copper, aluminum, lead, platinum, tin, silver, gold), conductingmetallic compound material (e.g., tantalum nitride, titanium nitride,tantalum carbide, titanium carbide, titanium aluminum carbide, tungstensilicide, tungsten nitride, ruthenium oxide, cobalt silicide, nickelsilicide), conductive carbon, graphene, or any suitable combination ofthese materials. The conductive material can further include dopantsthat are incorporated during or after deposition.

FIG. 7 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structure 100after a processing operation according to one or more embodiments of theinvention. In some embodiments of the invention, an interlayerdielectric 702 can be formed over the semiconductor structure 100. Theinterlayer dielectric 702 serves as an isolation structure for thesemiconductor fins 102. The interlayer dielectric 702 can be made of anysuitable dielectric material, such as, for example, porous silicates,carbon doped oxides, silicon dioxides, silicon nitrides, siliconoxynitrides, silicon carbide (SiC), or other dielectric materials. Anyknown manner of forming the interlayer dielectric 702 can be utilized,such as, for example, CVD, PECVD, ALD, flowable CVD, spin-ondielectrics, or PVD.

As further shown in FIG. 7 , a surface of the semiconductor structure100 can be recessed and planarized, using, for example achemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) process. In some embodiments ofthe invention, the semiconductor structure 100 is planarized to expose asurface of the hard mask 106. In some embodiments of the invention, thesemiconductor structure 100 is planarized selective to a surface of thehard mask 106. In some embodiments of the invention, the semiconductorstructure 100 is planarized below a portion of the dielectric layer 302formed on the top surface of the fins 102.

FIG. 8 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structure 100after a processing operation according to one or more embodiments of theinvention. In some embodiments of the invention, the interlayerdielectric 702 can be recessed below a top surface of the hard mask 106.The interlayer dielectric 702 can be recessed using any suitable method,such as a wet etch, a dry etch, or a combination of sequential wetand/or dry etches. In some embodiments of the invention, the interlayerdielectric 702 is recessed selective to the hard mask 106 and/or thegates 602. In some embodiments of the invention, the interlayerdielectric 702 is recessed using an isotropic oxide etch.

FIG. 9 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structure 100after a processing operation according to one or more embodiments of theinvention. In some embodiments of the invention, the gates 602 can berecessed below a top surface of the hard mask 106. The gates 602 can berecessed using any suitable method, such as a wet etch, a dry etch, or acombination of sequential wet and/or dry etches. In some embodiments ofthe invention, the gates 602 are recessed selective to the hard mask106.

FIG. 10 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structure100 after a processing operation according to one or more embodiments ofthe invention. In some embodiments of the invention, the interlayerdielectric 702 can be removed to expose a sidewall of the gates 602. Theinterlayer dielectric 702 can be removed using any suitable method, suchas a wet etch, a dry etch, or a combination of sequential wet and/or dryetches. In some embodiments of the invention, the interlayer dielectric702 is removed selective to the hard mask 106 and/or the gates 602. Insome embodiments of the invention, the interlayer dielectric 702 isremoved using an oxide wet stripping process.

FIG. 11 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structure100 after a processing operation according to one or more embodiments ofthe invention. In some embodiments of the invention, a liner 1102(sometimes referred to as a dielectric liner) can be formed on exposedsidewalls and a bottom surface of the gates 602.

In some embodiments of the invention, the liner 1102 is formed using aconformal deposition process, such as CVD or ALD. The liner 1102 can bemade of any suitable material, such as, for example, a low-k dielectric,a nitride, silicon nitride, silicon oxide, SiON, SiC, SiOCN, or SiBCN. Alow-k dielectric can include a dielectric material having a dielectricconstant less than the dielectric constant of silicon dioxide (e.g.,less than about 3.9). The liner 1102 can be formed to a thickness ofabout 5 to 10 nm, although other thicknesses are within the contemplatedscope of the invention.

As further illustrated in FIG. 11 , an interlayer dielectric 1104 can beformed over the semiconductor structure 100. The interlayer dielectric1104 can be made of any suitable dielectric material, such as, forexample, porous silicates, carbon doped oxides, silicon dioxides,silicon nitrides, silicon oxynitrides, silicon carbide (SiC), or otherdielectric materials. Any known manner of forming the interlayerdielectric 1104 can be utilized, such as, for example, CVD, PECVD, ALD,flowable CVD, spin-on dielectrics, or PVD. In some embodiments of theinvention, the semiconductor structure 100 is then planarized to a levelwithin the hard mask 106.

FIG. 12 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structure100 after a processing operation according to one or more embodiments ofthe invention. In some embodiments of the invention, portions of thegates 602 and the liner 1102 are recessed below a top surface of thefins 102. In some embodiments of the invention, the hard mask 106 isremoved during this recess. The gates 602 and the liner 1102 can berecessed using any suitable method, such as a wet etch, a dry etch, or acombination of sequential wet and/or dry etches. In some embodiments ofthe invention, the gates 602 and the liner 1102 are recessed selectiveto the fins 102.

FIG. 13 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structure100 after a processing operation according to one or more embodiments ofthe invention. In some embodiments of the invention, a top spacer 1302can be formed on the recessed surfaces of the gates 602 and the liner1102. In some embodiments of the invention, the top spacer 1302 isformed by first depositing a conformal layer using a conformaldeposition process, such as CVD or ALD (not shown). The conformal layercan then the patterned to expose a surface of the interlayer dielectric1104.

The top spacer 1302 can be made of any suitable material, such as, forexample, a low-k dielectric, a nitride, silicon nitride, silicon oxide,SiON, SiC, SiOCN, or SiBCN. In some embodiments of the invention, thetop spacer 1302 is made of a same dielectric material as the liner 1102.In some embodiments of the invention, the top spacer 1302 is made of adifferent dielectric material than the liner 1102. The top spacer 1302can be formed to a thickness of about 5 to 10 nm, although otherthicknesses are within the contemplated scope of the invention.

FIG. 14 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structure100 after a processing operation according to one or more embodiments ofthe invention. In some embodiments of the invention, a top S/D region1402 can be formed on a top surface of the fins 102. The top S/D region1402 can be formed and doped in a similar manner as the bottom S/Dregion 108. In some embodiments of the invention, the top S/D region1402 is epitaxially grown from the exposed top surface of the fins 102.

FIG. 15 depicts a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structure100 after a processing operation according to one or more embodiments ofthe invention. In some embodiments of the invention, a S/D contact 1502and a gate contact 1504 can be formed by depositing or formingconductive material within trenches (not separately shown) formed in theinterlayer dielectric 1104. In some embodiments of the invention, theS/D contact 1502 is formed in direct contact with a top surface of thetop S/D region 1402. In some embodiments of the invention, the gatecontact 1504 is formed in direct contact with the gates 602 (afterpunching through or removing a portion of the liner 1102).

The S/D contact 1502 and the gate contact 1504 can be formed ordeposited using known metallization techniques. In some embodiments ofthe invention, the S/D contact 1502 and the gate contact 1504 areoverfilled above a surface of the interlayer dielectric 704, formingoverburdens that can be removed using, for example, CMP. The S/D contact1502 and the gate contact 1504 can be made of any suitable conductingmaterial, such as, for example, metal (e.g., tungsten, titanium,tantalum, ruthenium, zirconium, cobalt, copper, aluminum, platinum),conducting metallic compound material (e.g., tantalum nitride, titaniumnitride, tantalum carbide, titanium carbide, titanium aluminum carbide,tungsten silicide, tungsten nitride, cobalt silicide, nickel silicide),conductive carbon, or any suitable combination of these materials. Insome embodiments of the invention, the S/D contact 1502 and the gatecontact 1504 are cobalt or tungsten contacts. The conductive materialcan further include dopants that are incorporated during or afterdeposition. In some embodiments of the invention, the S/D contact 1502and the gate contact 1504 can each include a barrier metal liner (notdepicted). Material examples include tantalum nitride and tantalum(TaN/Ta), titanium, titanium nitride, cobalt, ruthenium, and manganese.

As further shown in FIG. 15 , the previously described process(illustrated in FIGS. 1-15 ) results in a bottom spacer (the liner 202and the dielectric layer 302, collectively referred to as the bottomspacer) having a unique dual liner structure. In particular, the liner202 will have a stepped shape near a shallow trench isolation region(e.g., near the shallow trench isolation region 110) as shown in detail1506. For example, the liner 202 can be conformally formed on sidewallsand a top surface of the S/D region 108 in the area directly adjacent tothe shallow trench isolation region 110. In addition, the liner 202 willhave a U-shape (convex shape) under the bottom spacer region in areasnot directly adjacent to a shallow trench isolation (e.g., the shallowtrench isolation 110) as shown in detail 1508. For example, the liner202 can be conformally formed on sidewalls of the fins 102 and along asurface of the S/D region 108 in the area between adjacent fins of thefins 102. While the details 1506 and 1508 are only shown for the threefins 102, it is understood that the unique dual liner structure willexist for any number of fins. In other words, regions near a shallowtrench isolation region will have a stepped shape similar to that shownin detail 1506, while regions remote from a shallow trench isolationregion (i.e., between adjacent fins) will have a U-shape similar to thatshown in detail 1508.

FIG. 16 depicts a flow diagram 1600 illustrating a method for forming asemiconductor device according to one or more embodiments of theinvention. As shown at block 1602, a first liner is formed on a topsurface of a S/D region and sidewalls of a semiconductor fin. In someembodiments of the invention, the first liner is formed by conformallydepositing dielectric material over the top surface of the S/D regionand sidewalls of the semiconductor fin. In some embodiments of theinvention, the first liner includes a stepped shaped directly adjacentto a shallow trench isolation region and a convex shape between thesemiconductor fin and another semiconductor fin.

At block 1603, a spacer is formed on sidewalls of the first liner. Atblock 1604, portions of the spacer are removed to expose a first regionand a second region of the first liner. In some embodiments of theinvention, the first region is directly on the S/D region and the secondregion is over the semiconductor fin. In some embodiments of theinvention, the spacer is formed on sidewalls of the first liner. In someembodiments of the invention, forming the spacer further includesconformally depositing spacer material over the first liner. In someembodiments of the invention, the spacer material includes amorphoussilicon.

At block 1606, a second liner is formed on the first liner. In someembodiments of the invention, a first portion of the second liner isformed by selectively depositing dielectric material on the exposedfirst region and exposed second region of the first liner. In someembodiments of the invention, a second portion of the second liner isformed by depositing additional dielectric material on the first portionof the second liner after removing the spacer. In some embodiments ofthe invention, the additional dielectric material is conformallydeposited such that the second liner includes a first thickness over theS/D region and a second thickness on sidewalls of the semiconductor fin.In some embodiments of the invention, the second thickness is less thanthe first thickness.

In some embodiments of the invention, the first liner and the secondliner collectively define a dual liner bottom spacer. In someembodiments of the invention, the first liner includes an oxide and thesecond liner includes a nitride.

FIG. 17 depicts a flow diagram 1700 illustrating a method for forming asemiconductor device according to one or more embodiments of theinvention. As shown at block 1702, a first semiconductor fin and asecond semiconductor fin are formed on a substrate. At block 1704, abottom S/D is formed on a surface of the substrate. In some embodimentsof the invention, the bottom S/D is positioned between the semiconductorfins and the substrate.

At block 1706, a shallow trench isolation region is formed in thesubstrate. At block 1708, a gate is formed over a channel region of thefirst semiconductor fin and the second semiconductor fin.

At block 1710, a dual liner bottom spacer is formed between the bottomS/D and the gate. In some embodiments of the invention, the dual linerbottom spacer includes an oxide liner and a nitride liner. In someembodiments of the invention, the oxide liner includes a stepped shapeddirectly adjacent to the shallow trench isolation region and a convexshape between the first semiconductor fin and the second semiconductorfin.

In some embodiments of the invention, forming the dual liner bottomspacer includes conformally depositing the oxide liner over a topsurface of the bottom S/D and sidewalls of the first semiconductor finand the second semiconductor fin. In some embodiments of the invention,forming the dual liner bottom spacer includes conformally depositingspacer material over the first liner and removing portions of the spacermaterial to define a spacer. In some embodiments of the invention, thespacer exposes a first region and a second region of the oxide liner. Insome embodiments of the invention, the first region is directly on thebottom S/D and the second region is over the first semiconductor fin andthe second semiconductor fin. In some embodiments of the invention, thespacer material includes amorphous silicon.

In some embodiments of the invention, a first portion of the nitrideliner is formed by selectively depositing dielectric material on theexposed first region and exposed second region of the oxide liner. Insome embodiments of the invention, a second portion of the nitride lineris formed by depositing additional dielectric material on the firstportion of the nitride liner after removing the spacer. In someembodiments of the invention, the additional dielectric material isconformally deposited.

The methods and resulting structures described herein can be used in thefabrication of IC chips. The resulting IC chips can be distributed bythe fabricator in raw wafer form (that is, as a single wafer that hasmultiple unpackaged chips), as a bare die, or in a packaged form. In thelatter case the chip is mounted in a single chip package (such as aplastic carrier, with leads that are affixed to a motherboard or otherhigher level carrier) or in a multichip package (such as a ceramiccarrier that has either or both surface interconnections or buriedinterconnections). In any case the chip is then integrated with otherchips, discrete circuit elements, and/or other signal processing devicesas part of either (a) an intermediate product, such as a motherboard, or(b) an end product. The end product can be any product that includes ICchips, ranging from toys and other low-end applications to advancedcomputer products having a display, a keyboard or other input device,and a central processor.

Various embodiments of the present invention are described herein withreference to the related drawings. Alternative embodiments can bedevised without departing from the scope of this invention. Althoughvarious connections and positional relationships (e.g., over, below,adjacent, etc.) are set forth between elements in the followingdescription and in the drawings, persons skilled in the art willrecognize that many of the positional relationships described herein areorientation-independent when the described functionality is maintainedeven though the orientation is changed. These connections and/orpositional relationships, unless specified otherwise, can be direct orindirect, and the present invention is not intended to be limiting inthis respect. Similarly, the term “coupled” and variations thereofdescribes having a communications path between two elements and does notimply a direct connection between the elements with no interveningelements/connections between them. All of these variations areconsidered a part of the specification. Accordingly, a coupling ofentities can refer to either a direct or an indirect coupling, and apositional relationship between entities can be a direct or indirectpositional relationship. As an example of an indirect positionalrelationship, references in the present description to forming layer “A”over layer “B” include situations in which one or more intermediatelayers (e.g., layer “C”) is between layer “A” and layer “B” as long asthe relevant characteristics and functionalities of layer “A” and layer“B” are not substantially changed by the intermediate layer(s).

The following definitions and abbreviations are to be used for theinterpretation of the claims and the specification. As used herein, theterms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,”“having,” “contains” or “containing,” or any other variation thereof,are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, acomposition, a mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus thatcomprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only thoseelements but can include other elements not expressly listed or inherentto such composition, mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus.

Additionally, the term “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as anexample, instance or illustration.” Any embodiment or design describedherein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments or designs. The terms “at least one”and “one or more” are understood to include any integer number greaterthan or equal to one, i.e. one, two, three, four, etc. The terms “aplurality” are understood to include any integer number greater than orequal to two, i.e. two, three, four, five, etc. The term “connection”can include an indirect “connection” and a direct “connection.”

References in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,”“an example embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment describedcan include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, butevery embodiment may or may not include the particular feature,structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarilyreferring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature,structure, or characteristic is described in connection with anembodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of oneskilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristicin connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitlydescribed.

For purposes of the description hereinafter, the terms “upper,” “lower,”“right,” “left,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” andderivatives thereof shall relate to the described structures andmethods, as oriented in the drawing figures. The terms “overlying,”“atop,” “on top,” “positioned on” or “positioned atop” mean that a firstelement, such as a first structure, is present on a second element, suchas a second structure, wherein intervening elements such as an interfacestructure can be present between the first element and the secondelement. The term “direct contact” means that a first element, such as afirst structure, and a second element, such as a second structure, areconnected without any intermediary conducting, insulating orsemiconductor layers at the interface of the two elements.

Spatially relative terms, e.g., “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,”“upper,” and the like, are used herein for ease of description todescribe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) orfeature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that thespatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theorientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in thefigures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” otherelements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elementsor features. Thus, the term “below” can encompass both an orientation ofabove and below. The device can be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90degrees or at other orientations), and the spatially relativedescriptors used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

The terms “about,” “substantially,” “approximately,” and variationsthereof, are intended to include the degree of error associated withmeasurement of the particular quantity based upon the equipmentavailable at the time of filing the application. For example, “about”can include a range of ±8% or 5%, or 2% of a given value.

The phrase “selective to,” such as, for example, “a first elementselective to a second element,” means that the first element can beetched and the second element can act as an etch stop.

The term “conformal” (e.g., a conformal layer or a conformal deposition)means that the thickness of the layer is substantially the same on allsurfaces, or that the thickness variation is less than 15% of thenominal thickness of the layer.

The terms “epitaxial growth and/or deposition” and “epitaxially formedand/or grown” mean the growth of a semiconductor material (crystallinematerial) on a deposition surface of another semiconductor material(crystalline material), in which the semiconductor material being grown(crystalline overlayer) has substantially the same crystallinecharacteristics as the semiconductor material of the deposition surface(seed material). In an epitaxial deposition process, the chemicalreactants provided by the source gases can be controlled and the systemparameters can be set so that the depositing atoms arrive at thedeposition surface of the semiconductor substrate with sufficient energyto move about on the surface such that the depositing atoms orientthemselves to the crystal arrangement of the atoms of the depositionsurface. An epitaxially grown semiconductor material can havesubstantially the same crystalline characteristics as the depositionsurface on which the epitaxially grown material is formed. For example,an epitaxially grown semiconductor material deposited on a {100}orientated crystalline surface can take on a {100} orientation. In someembodiments of the invention of the invention, epitaxial growth and/ordeposition processes can be selective to forming on semiconductorsurface, and may or may not deposit material on exposed surfaces, suchas silicon dioxide or silicon nitride surfaces.

As previously noted herein, for the sake of brevity, conventionaltechniques related to semiconductor device and integrated circuit (IC)fabrication may or may not be described in detail herein. By way ofbackground, however, a more general description of the semiconductordevice fabrication processes that can be utilized in implementing one ormore embodiments of the present invention will now be provided. Althoughspecific fabrication operations used in implementing one or moreembodiments of the present invention can be individually known, thedescribed combination of operations and/or resulting structures of thepresent invention are unique. Thus, the unique combination of theoperations described in connection with the fabrication of asemiconductor device according to the present invention utilize avariety of individually known physical and chemical processes performedon a semiconductor (e.g., silicon) substrate, some of which aredescribed in the immediately following paragraphs.

In general, the various processes used to form a micro-chip that will bepackaged into an IC fall into four general categories, namely, filmdeposition, removal/etching, semiconductor doping andpatterning/lithography. Deposition is any process that grows, coats, orotherwise transfers a material onto the wafer. Available technologiesinclude physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition(CVD), electrochemical deposition (ECD), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)and more recently, atomic layer deposition (ALD) among others.Removal/etching is any process that removes material from the wafer.Examples include etch processes (either wet or dry), chemical-mechanicalplanarization (CMP), and the like. Reactive ion etching (ME), forexample, is a type of dry etching that uses chemically reactive plasmato remove a material, such as a masked pattern of semiconductormaterial, by exposing the material to a bombardment of ions thatdislodge portions of the material from the exposed surface. The plasmais typically generated under low pressure (vacuum) by an electromagneticfield. Semiconductor doping is the modification of electrical propertiesby doping, for example, transistor sources and drains, generally bydiffusion and/or by ion implantation. These doping processes arefollowed by furnace annealing or by rapid thermal annealing (RTA).Annealing serves to activate the implanted dopants. Films of bothconductors (e.g., poly-silicon, aluminum, copper, etc.) and insulators(e.g., various forms of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, etc.) are usedto connect and isolate transistors and their components. Selectivedoping of various regions of the semiconductor substrate allows theconductivity of the substrate to be changed with the application ofvoltage. By creating structures of these various components, millions oftransistors can be built and wired together to form the complexcircuitry of a modern microelectronic device. Semiconductor lithographyis the formation of three-dimensional relief images or patterns on thesemiconductor substrate for subsequent transfer of the pattern to thesubstrate. In semiconductor lithography, the patterns are formed by alight sensitive polymer called a photo-resist. To build the complexstructures that make up a transistor and the many wires that connect themillions of transistors of a circuit, lithography and etch patterntransfer steps are repeated multiple times. Each pattern being printedon the wafer is aligned to the previously formed patterns and slowly theconductors, insulators and selectively doped regions are built up toform the final device.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate possibleimplementations of fabrication and/or operation methods according tovarious embodiments of the present invention. Variousfunctions/operations of the method are represented in the flow diagramby blocks. In some alternative implementations, the functions noted inthe blocks can occur out of the order noted in the Figures. For example,two blocks shown in succession can, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks can sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments described. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdescribed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor device comprising: a firstsemiconductor fin and a second semiconductor fin on a substrate; abottom source or drain (S/D) on a surface of the substrate, the bottomS/D positioned between the semiconductor fins; an isolation region inthe substrate; a gate over a channel region of the first semiconductorfin and a channel region of the second semiconductor fin; and a dualliner bottom spacer between the bottom S/D and the gate, the dual linerbottom spacer comprising a first liner and a second liner, the firstliner comprising a stepped shape in a first region directly on theisolation region and a convex shape in a second region between the firstsemiconductor fin and the second semiconductor fin; wherein the firstliner in the first region is positioned directly on a top surface and asidewall of the bottom S/D and on a second sidewall of the firstsemiconductor fin.
 2. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein thefirst liner comprises an oxide liner and the second liner comprises anitride liner.
 3. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the firstliner in the second region is positioned directly on a top surface ofthe bottom S/D, on a first sidewall of the first semiconductor fin, andon a second sidewall of the second semiconductor fin.
 4. Thesemiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the first liner in the secondregion is in direct contact with the gate.
 5. The semiconductor deviceof claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor fin and the secondsemiconductor fin each comprise a vertical tunneling field effecttransistor (VFET).